With suffocating heat, no ventilation, scarce food and water, and blocked toilets, the site became a death trap. Some detainees took their own lives; others were shot attempting to escape. 

After days in such conditions, they were sent to internment camps like Drancy and then deported to Nazi death camps, primarily Auschwitz, where most were murdered.

This week, France’s leaders have once again turned against the Jewish people.